Jan Gustaff Van Schalkwyk painted his first oil painting when he was 9 years old. He continued to paint the South African scene for many decades thereafter. Today Jan is an artist at the Ernst de Jong Academy of Fine Art and is one of the elite groups of painters that are producing work of great significance within a truly South African context. He loves the Southern Cape and most of his themes are inspired by the simplicity and the beauty found in many of the small towns from this region. Simplicity and contentment are his passion. His finely crafted, elegantly designed and beautifully painted paintings are rare examples of great South African Art.